2 Garotas in Love

If you like romantic comedies, then you will love this one.

It is a small budget indie, but don't let that keep you away.

This is Laurel Holloman from "The L Word"'s debut film. She plays Randy Dean, a girl who lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and is not particularly pretty. She smokes weed, fails her classes, and likes loud rock music.

She runs into Evie (Nicole Ari Parker in her debut performance) and they slowly fall in love. Now, Evie takes trips to Paris with her mother, listens to opera, and is well-read and well educated.

Two more opposite girls you cannot imagine.

Yes, it is romantic, but it becomes so funny at the end that you forget that while you are laughing yourself silly.

This is one of the first lesbian movies I've seen, and already, it's pretty hard to top. I knew Laurel Holloman from her character, Tina, on The L Word. It's refreshing to see Holloman play a butch lesbian. In this film, her quirky, spontaneous and head-strong character attracted me from the start. Randy (that's her name) and Nicole Parker's character, Evie, have great chemistry together. Somehow, their personalities clash, which proves that their love for one another is not superficial. In a way, their relationship is the perfect first love; impulsive, experimental yet passionate. I recommend this to all teenagers.

I really enjoyed this movie. Back in 1999 I wasn't even allowed to watch movies like this... I thought it was beautiful. I enjoyed both the main characters. I noticed one of the main characters is also a main character on the Showtime show called The L Word. A very beautiful coming-of-age story deals with losing friendships as gaining them and being accepted for who you are. They should make more movies like this today.

The ultimate charm of this movie is that though it is a lesbian movie, it truly is about two teenagers from very different backgrounds falling in love. This is the what the movie is actually about and the lesbian aspect of it is actually almost secondary. Think about it ... replace the girl falling in love with girl concept and replace it with some other socially challenging category (perhaps a cross-culture or cross-religion love story), and it would still work. [In fact, ironically, the director/writer eventually married a guy, much to some people's chagrin! lol]

The movie is rough as many an indie film is and the actors are young (this was Nicole Ari Parker's first film) or somewhat amateurish. Still, the basic relationships hold true. The girls and their mom/aunt, the other romances that don't quite work out, and their friends all are believable, though some match up better than others. How Randy and Evie connect through "Leaves of Grass" might be a bit trite, but I believed it -- imagine, a film that respected the power of poetry!

And, I did accept them as a couple. Young love is pretty well portrayed, and in fact, how many films these days really portray it? Not too many really -- the films are often more concerned with stereotypical plot complications than the romance, and even those come far and long inbetween. This alone makes the film a pleasure, though the lesbian aspect supplies an additional layer.

And as to that layer, this is probably one of the superior films of the genre. To compare, for instance, this is better than "Better Than Chocolate." Again, it can very well be a matter of taste (lol). The ending is a bit silly though, but the scene before the final reel (the mom freaking out) is priceless. Still, the ending suggests that this is first love, not necessarily forever. A good thing too.

-j

PS It was suggested that this was eye candy for men or just for lesbians. I beg to differ in both respects. There is a quick love scene and mild kissing, but if men want to leer, there are better films in the genre than one that cares so much about character.

In terms of cuteness, this movie is equivivalent to a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romance, which isn't a bad thing at all. The two leads are sensitive and funny in their portrayals of Evie and Randy. Interesting that Laurel Holloman and Nicole Parker both wound up in the cast of Boogie Nights, no? I especially loved the character of Frank in this movie. A sweet date movie for couples of all orientations, in my opinion. :)